Terauchi Masatake
Count Terauchi Masatake | |
|---|---|
| 寺内 正毅 | |
Governor General of Korea | |
| In office 30 May 1910 – 9 October 1916 | |
| Monarchs | Meiji Taishō |
| Preceded by | Sone Arasuke (as resident-general) |
| Succeeded by | Gensui Count Hasegawa |
| Minister of the Army | |
| In office 27 March 1902 – 30 August 1911 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Kodama Gentarō |
| Succeeded by | Ishimoto Shinroku |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 February 1852 Independent |
| Spouse | Terauchi Taki (1862–1920) |
| Children | Hisaichi Terauchi |
| Awards | Order of the Rising Sun (1st class) Order of the Golden Kite (1st Class) Order of the Bath (Honorary Knight Grand Cross) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Branch/service | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1871–1910 |
| Rank | Field Marshal (Gensui)  |
| Battles/wars | Boshin War Satsuma Rebellion First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War |
Gensui Count Terauchi Masatake (Japanese: 寺内 正毅), GCB (5 February 1852 – 3 November 1919), was a Japanese military officer and politician.[1] He was a Gensui (or Marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army and the Prime Minister of Japan from 1916 to 1918.
Biography
Military career
Terauchi Masatake was born in Hirai Village,
As a youth, he was a member of the Kiheitai militia from 1864, and fought in the Boshin War against the Tokugawa shogunate from 1867, most notably at the Battle of Hakodate. After the victory at Hakodate, he travelled to Kyoto, where he joined the Ministry of War and was drilled by French instructors in Western weaponry and tactics. He became a member of Emperor Meiji's personal guard in 1870 and travelled with the Emperor to Tokyo. He left military service in 1871 to pursue language studies, but was recalled with the formation the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army in 1871 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant after attending the Army's Toyama School. He was appointed to the staff of the new Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1873. he fought in the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877 and was injured and lost his right hand during the Battle of Tabaruzaka. His physical disability did not prove to be an impediment to his future military and political career.
In 1882, he was sent to France as
With the start of the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894, Terauchi was appointed Secretary of Transportation and Communication for the Imperial General Headquarters, which made him responsible for all movement of troops and supplies during the war. In 1896, he was assigned command of the IJA 3rd Infantry Brigade. In 1898, he was promoted to become the first Inspector General of Military Training, which he made one of the three highest positions in the army. In 1900, he became Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, and went to China to personally oversee Japanese force during the Boxer Rebellion
Political career
Terauchi was appointed as
He continued in office as Army Minister under the first Saionji administration and the second Katsura administration from July 1908 to August 1911.
Korean Resident-General
Following the assassination of former
Other of Terauchi's policies also had noble goals but
In recognition of his work in Korea, his title was raised to that of hakushaku (count) in 1911.
The Japanese Governor-General, Count Terauchi, is a very strong and able man, and under his administration many improvements have been made in Korea. This has not always been done without friction between the natives and their conquerors, it must be confessed, but the results are certainly astonishing. The government has been reorganized, courts have been established, the laws have been revised, trade conditions have been improved and commerce has increased. Agriculture has been encouraged by the opening of experiment stations, railroads have been constructed from the interior to the sea-coast, and harbours have been dredged and lighthouses erected. Japanese expenditures in Korea have amounted to twelve million dollars yearly.
— Isabel Anderson, The Spell of Japan, 1914
For reference, the $12 million figure in Anderson's book is roughly equivalent to $373.1 million in 2023.[3]
As Prime Minister
In June 1916, Terauchi he received his promotion to the largely ceremonial rank of
During his tenure, Terauchi pursued an aggressive foreign policy. He oversaw the
In September 1918, Terauchi resigned his office, due to the
His decorations included the Order of the Rising Sun (1st class) and Order of the Golden Kite (1st Class).
The billiken doll, which was a Kewpie-like fad toy invented in 1908 and was very popular in Japan, lent its name to the Terauchi administration, partly due to the doll's uncanny resemblance to Count Terauchi's bald head.
Legacy
Terauchi's eldest son,
Honours
From the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia
Peerages
Japanese decorations
- 1892 –
Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class [6] - 1894 –
Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class - 1895 –
Order of the Golden Kite, 3rd class [7] - 1895 –
Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class [8] - 1899 -
Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd class [9] - 1901 –
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun[10] - 1901 – Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class [11]
- 1906 –
Order of the Golden Kite, 1st class[12] - 1906 –
Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers[13] - 1919 –
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (posthumous)
Foreign decorations (partial list)
- 1886 –
France - Legion of Honour, Chevalier [14] - 1891 –
France - Legion of Honour, Officier [15] - 1894 –
Ottoman Empire - Order of the Medjidie, Commandeur [16] - 1897 –
- Russia - Order of Saint Stanislaus, 1st class [17] - 1897 –
France - Legion of Honour, Commandeur [18] - 1906 – Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) (15 March 1906)[19]
- 1907 – Order of the Dragon of Annam, Commander [20]
Popular culture
- Portrayed by Lee Young-seok in the 2015 film Assassination.
References
- ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Terauchi Masatake" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 964, p. 964, at Google Books.
- ^ Isabel Anderson, "The Spell of Japan", Boston, 1914, p.15.
- ^ CPI Inflation Calculator. https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1913?amount=12000000
- ^ 『官報』第7272号「授爵敍任及辞令」September 23, 1907
- ^ 『官報』第8347号「授爵・叙任及辞令」April 22, 1911。
- ^ 『官報』第2828号「叙任及辞令」November 30, 1892
- ^ 『官報』第3644号「叙任及辞令」August 21, 1895
- ^ 『官報』第3644号「叙任及辞令」August 21, 1895
- ^ 『官報』第4754号「叙任及辞令」May 10, 1899
- ^ 『官報』第2612号「叙任及辞令」April 19, 1921
- ^ 『官報』第5487号「叙任及辞令」October 15, 1901
- ^ 『官報』号外「叙任及辞令」January 28, 1907
- ^ 『官報』号外「叙任及辞令」January 28, 1907
- ^ 『官報』第779号「叙任及辞令」February 9, 1886
- ^ 『官報』第2485号「叙任及辞令」October 9, 1891
- ^ 『官報』第4192号「叙任及辞令」June 24, 1897
- ^ 『官報』第4192号「叙任及辞令」June 24, 1891
- ^ 『官報』第4192号「叙任及辞令」June 24, 1891
- ^ "No. 27913". The London Gazette. 15 May 1906. p. 3323.
- ^ 『官報』第4192号「叙任及辞令」June 24, 1891
- Craig, Albert M. Chōshū in the Meiji Restoration. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1961. OCLC 482814571
- Duus, Peter. The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea, 1895-1910 (Twentieth-Century Japan - the Emergence of a World Power. University of California Press (1998). ISBN 0-520-21361-0.
- Dupuy, Trevor N. ISBN 0-7858-0437-4
- ISBN 9780691054599; OCLC 12311985
- ____________. (2000). The Making of Modern Japan. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674003347; OCLC 44090600
- Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
External links
| Empire of Japan, 1868–1947 |
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| State of Japan, 1947–present |
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